Mortality percentages related to heartwater and the economic impact of heartwater disease on large-scale commercial farms in Zimbabwe
- Meltzer, M.I.
- Perry, Brian D.
- Donachie, P.L.
DOIAbstract
A postal questionnaire asking for data concerning heartwater deaths was sent to all large-scale commercial farmers in Zimbabwe's lowveld, where heartwater is endemic. One hundred and fifty returns (24 percent return rate) provided usable data, with 85 farms (57 percent of sample) reporting heartwater deaths in 1990/91. The median heartwater mortality percentage for calves (0.12 months) was 2.3 percent. This was statistically significantly different (Wilcoxon signed rank test, P<0.005) from the median mortality percentage of 0.6 percent for cattle 13 months and older. Heartwater accounted for 51 percent of all mortalities on farms reporting heartwater deaths. There were no meaningful correlations between farm or herd size and heartwater mort...
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